KN Magazine: Articles
Take a Writing Turn: Be Yourself, Then Maybe Look West / Vonn McKee
Vonn McKee knows the kind of writers we are. She also knows ways we could be different. In this article, Vonn talks a little about her own journey and the two things she found most helpful in becoming a writer. And then she challenges us to maybe think outside the box to find something new for ourselves. She is also reigniting my desire to pull out those old Zane Greys I haven’t visited in a while.
Enjoy this article. Let us know if it makes you long westwardly. Better yet, let us know when you’ve climbed up on the horse.
Happy Reading!
And until next time, read like someone is burning the books.
Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine
Take a Writing Turn: Be Yourself, Then Maybe Look West
By Vonn McKee
When I decided to become a writer, I did the thing that many prospective authors do. I googled “How to Become a Writer.” I was stunned at the avalanche of Internet article lists: “27 Tips for Becoming a Writer,” “365 Days to Becoming a Writer,” “The ONLY Thing You Need to Know to Become a Writer.” A quick visit to Amazon revealed enough “How to Become a Writer” books to fill a suburban library.
And here’s the surprise: most of them were written by authors I had never heard of. These guys were apparently selling more books to writers about being writers than they were to the actual reading public. What a brilliant scheme!
I confess that I did read some of these how-to’s. Often, the advice was conflicting from one book to the next. Some tips were downright bizarre: “Take a huge bowel movement every day. If your body doesn’t flow, then your brain won’t flow. Eat more fruit if you have to.”
Obviously, I couldn’t follow all of this advice or I would never get anything written. (For one thing, it’s really hard to balance a laptop when you’re on the privy.) There were, however, a couple of closely related truths that hit home. I’ll share them with you, along with the disclaimer that this really is NOT a “how to become a writer” blog.
Find your voice. This is harder than it sounds. It involves a lifetime of reading, and then discovering which styles of description, dialogue and characters touch off your inner tuning fork. It also involves a lot of writing — experimenting, failing, erasing, starting over, honing. Having a nice wall to stare at helps.
Find your market. Write books like ones you’ve read and could never forget. It’s the stuff of your algebra class daydreams, who are your “people”, and how many pairs of running shoes (or cowboy boots) do you own. It’s who you are. Maybe, it’s who you wish you could be. There are others out there like you — and you know how to talk to them.
Because of my particular path, I chose the Western genre. I’ve released some short stories and have a novel in the works. Apparently, I’m trendy; The New Yorker published Stephen King’s Western short story, A Death, just this week. Fans of his will recall his Western/horror/fantasy Dark Tower series, which King described as his “magnum opus.”
I’m not a big shoot-em-up, burn-em-out kind of writer. I favor the historical fiction angle and typically write about everyday characters rather than gun slinging superheroes. I’m not above throwing in some anomalies. For instance, a Spanish opera singer stuck in a Western town accidentally shoots the sheriff (but not the deputy) in The Songbird of Seville.
I wrote a mystery short story called Noah Rains with the classic “there’s something out there” theme. I’ll go ahead and tell you it isn’t a bloodthirsty alien. Horror is relative: a story about werewolves that simply gives you a start will scare my drawers off. And you may blanch at the sight of clowns after reading It, while I think they’re just weird old guys wearing too much makeup.
Here’s the point I’m trying to make: if mystery/crime/horror is your market, consider jumping genres to explore new audiences. In the Western vein, Craig Johnson’s Longmire crime novels (and the subsequent television series) feature a flawed sheriff who is battling depression, drug lords and other everyday villains, not to mention running for reelection. Psychological thriller fans need look no further than Cormac McMarthy’s Blood Meridian. (Has there ever been a better moniker than the kid’s earless traveling buddy, Louis Toadvine?)
So take your ghosts to, you know, ghost towns. Mark a crime scene in Arizona sand rather than on an urban sidewalk. Let your hellish demons possess a steam locomotive or a miner’s pack mule. The Old West was a magical, mysterious place –– and might be the perfect setting for your next story.
If you would like to read more about Vonn Mckee’s books please click here.
Vonn McKee jokes that she is descended from horse traders and southern belles. She spent summers visiting her father’s family, who raised cattle and broke horses. Inspired by seeing her grandfather stretched out on a sofa reading Zane Grey novels (some of which were passed down to her), she owned a complete Zane Grey set herself by age eighteen. After years of working at everything from a riverboat waitress to country singer to construction project manager, Vonn is incorporating her experiences — and some of the interesting characters she’s met— into stories of the old West. Vonn McKee’s short stories are available on Amazon and Smashwords.com. “The Songbird of Seville” was named a WWA Spur Award finalist for Best Short Fiction. Visit her website http://www.vonnmckee.com/
Submit to our blog! (Have an idea for our blog? Then share it with our Killer Nashville family. With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to contact@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Maria Giordano, Will Chessor and author Tom Wood for his volunteer assistance in coordinating our weekly blogs. For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com or www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com)
Take a Writing Turn: Be Yourself, Then Maybe Look West / Vonn McKee
Vonn McKee knows the kind of writers we are. She also knows ways we could be different. In this article, Vonn talks a little about her own journey and the two things she found most helpful in becoming a writer. And then she challenges us to maybe think outside the box to find something new for ourselves. She is also reigniting my desire to pull out those old Zane Greys I haven’t visited in a while.Enjoy this article. Let us know if it makes you long westwardly. Better yet, let us know when you’ve climbed up on the horse.Happy Reading!And until next time, read like someone is burning the books.
Clay Stafford,Founder Killer Nashville,Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine
Take a Writing Turn: Be Yourself, Then Maybe Look WestBy Vonn McKeeWhen I decided to become a writer, I did the thing that many prospective authors do. I googled “How to Become a Writer.” I was stunned at the avalanche of Internet article lists: “27 Tips for Becoming a Writer,” “365 Days to Becoming a Writer,” “The ONLY Thing You Need to Know to Become a Writer.” A quick visit to Amazon revealed enough “How to Become a Writer” books to fill a suburban library.And here’s the surprise: most of them were written by authors I had never heard of. These guys were apparently selling more books to writers about being writers than they were to the actual reading public. What a brilliant scheme!I confess that I did read some of these how-to’s. Often, the advice was conflicting from one book to the next. Some tips were downright bizarre: “Take a huge bowel movement every day. If your body doesn’t flow, then your brain won’t flow. Eat more fruit if you have to.”Obviously, I couldn’t follow all of this advice or I would never get anything written. (For one thing, it’s really hard to balance a laptop when you’re on the privy.) There were, however, a couple of closely related truths that hit home. I’ll share them with you, along with the disclaimer that this really is NOT a “how to become a writer” blog.Find your voice. This is harder than it sounds. It involves a lifetime of reading, and then discovering which styles of description, dialogue and characters touch off your inner tuning fork. It also involves a lot of writing — experimenting, failing, erasing, starting over, honing. Having a nice wall to stare at helps.Find your market. Write books like ones you’ve read and could never forget. It’s the stuff of your algebra class daydreams, who are your “people”, and how many pairs of running shoes (or cowboy boots) do you own. It’s who you are. Maybe, it’s who you wish you could be. There are others out there like you — and you know how to talk to them.Because of my particular path, I chose the Western genre. I’ve released some short stories and have a novel in the works. Apparently, I’m trendy; The New Yorker published Stephen King’s Western short story, A Death, just this week. Fans of his will recall his Western/horror/fantasy Dark Tower series, which King described as his “magnum opus.”
I’m not a big shoot-em-up, burn-em-out kind of writer. I favor the historical fiction angle and typically write about everyday characters rather than gun slinging superheroes. I’m not above throwing in some anomalies. For instance, a Spanish opera singer stuck in a Western town accidentally shoots the sheriff (but not the deputy) in The Songbird of Seville.I wrote a mystery short story called Noah Rains with the classic “there’s something out there” theme. I’ll go ahead and tell you it isn’t a bloodthirsty alien. Horror is relative: a story about werewolves that simply gives you a start will scare my drawers off. And you may blanch at the sight of clowns after reading It, while I think they’re just weird old guys wearing too much makeup.Here’s the point I’m trying to make: if mystery/crime/horror is your market, consider jumping genres to explore new audiences. In the Western vein, Craig Johnson’s Longmire crime novels (and the subsequent television series) feature a flawed sheriff who is battling depression, drug lords and other everyday villains, not to mention running for reelection. Psychological thriller fans need look no further than Cormac McMarthy’s Blood Meridian. (Has there ever been a better moniker than the kid’s earless traveling buddy, Louis Toadvine?)So take your ghosts to, you know, ghost towns. Mark a crime scene in Arizona sand rather than on an urban sidewalk. Let your hellish demons possess a steam locomotive or a miner’s pack mule. The Old West was a magical, mysterious place –– and might be the perfect setting for your next story.
If you would like to read more about Vonn Mckee's books please click here.Vonn McKee jokes that she is descended from horse traders and southern belles. She spent summers visiting her father's family, who raised cattle and broke horses. Inspired by seeing her grandfather stretched out on a sofa reading Zane Grey novels (some of which were passed down to her), she owned a complete Zane Grey set herself by age eighteen. After years of working at everything from a riverboat waitress to country singer to construction project manager, Vonn is incorporating her experiences — and some of the interesting characters she's met— into stories of the old West. Vonn McKee’s short stories are available on Amazon and Smashwords.com. "The Songbird of Seville" was named a WWA Spur Award finalist for Best Short Fiction. Visit her website http://www.vonnmckee.com/
Submit to our blog! (Have an idea for our blog? Then share it with our Killer Nashville family. With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to contact@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Maria Giordano, Will Chessor and author Tom Wood for his volunteer assistance in coordinating our weekly blogs. For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com or www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com)
Take a Writing Turn: Be Yourself, Then Maybe Look West / Vonn McKee
Vonn McKee knows the kind of writers we are. She also knows ways we could be different. In this article, Vonn talks a little about her own journey and the two things she found most helpful in becoming a writer. And then she challenges us to maybe think outside the box to find something new for ourselves. She is also reigniting my desire to pull out those old Zane Greys I haven’t visited in a while.Enjoy this article. Let us know if it makes you long westwardly. Better yet, let us know when you’ve climbed up on the horse.Happy Reading!And until next time, read like someone is burning the books.
Clay Stafford,Founder Killer Nashville,Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine
Take a Writing Turn: Be Yourself, Then Maybe Look WestBy Vonn McKeeWhen I decided to become a writer, I did the thing that many prospective authors do. I googled “How to Become a Writer.” I was stunned at the avalanche of Internet article lists: “27 Tips for Becoming a Writer,” “365 Days to Becoming a Writer,” “The ONLY Thing You Need to Know to Become a Writer.” A quick visit to Amazon revealed enough “How to Become a Writer” books to fill a suburban library.And here’s the surprise: most of them were written by authors I had never heard of. These guys were apparently selling more books to writers about being writers than they were to the actual reading public. What a brilliant scheme!I confess that I did read some of these how-to’s. Often, the advice was conflicting from one book to the next. Some tips were downright bizarre: “Take a huge bowel movement every day. If your body doesn’t flow, then your brain won’t flow. Eat more fruit if you have to.”Obviously, I couldn’t follow all of this advice or I would never get anything written. (For one thing, it’s really hard to balance a laptop when you’re on the privy.) There were, however, a couple of closely related truths that hit home. I’ll share them with you, along with the disclaimer that this really is NOT a “how to become a writer” blog.Find your voice. This is harder than it sounds. It involves a lifetime of reading, and then discovering which styles of description, dialogue and characters touch off your inner tuning fork. It also involves a lot of writing — experimenting, failing, erasing, starting over, honing. Having a nice wall to stare at helps.Find your market. Write books like ones you’ve read and could never forget. It’s the stuff of your algebra class daydreams, who are your “people”, and how many pairs of running shoes (or cowboy boots) do you own. It’s who you are. Maybe, it’s who you wish you could be. There are others out there like you — and you know how to talk to them.Because of my particular path, I chose the Western genre. I’ve released some short stories and have a novel in the works. Apparently, I’m trendy; The New Yorker published Stephen King’s Western short story, A Death, just this week. Fans of his will recall his Western/horror/fantasy Dark Tower series, which King described as his “magnum opus.”
I’m not a big shoot-em-up, burn-em-out kind of writer. I favor the historical fiction angle and typically write about everyday characters rather than gun slinging superheroes. I’m not above throwing in some anomalies. For instance, a Spanish opera singer stuck in a Western town accidentally shoots the sheriff (but not the deputy) in The Songbird of Seville.I wrote a mystery short story called Noah Rains with the classic “there’s something out there” theme. I’ll go ahead and tell you it isn’t a bloodthirsty alien. Horror is relative: a story about werewolves that simply gives you a start will scare my drawers off. And you may blanch at the sight of clowns after reading It, while I think they’re just weird old guys wearing too much makeup.Here’s the point I’m trying to make: if mystery/crime/horror is your market, consider jumping genres to explore new audiences. In the Western vein, Craig Johnson’s Longmire crime novels (and the subsequent television series) feature a flawed sheriff who is battling depression, drug lords and other everyday villains, not to mention running for reelection. Psychological thriller fans need look no further than Cormac McMarthy’s Blood Meridian. (Has there ever been a better moniker than the kid’s earless traveling buddy, Louis Toadvine?)So take your ghosts to, you know, ghost towns. Mark a crime scene in Arizona sand rather than on an urban sidewalk. Let your hellish demons possess a steam locomotive or a miner’s pack mule. The Old West was a magical, mysterious place –– and might be the perfect setting for your next story.
If you would like to read more about Vonn Mckee's books please click here.Vonn McKee jokes that she is descended from horse traders and southern belles. She spent summers visiting her father's family, who raised cattle and broke horses. Inspired by seeing her grandfather stretched out on a sofa reading Zane Grey novels (some of which were passed down to her), she owned a complete Zane Grey set herself by age eighteen. After years of working at everything from a riverboat waitress to country singer to construction project manager, Vonn is incorporating her experiences — and some of the interesting characters she's met— into stories of the old West. Vonn McKee’s short stories are available on Amazon and Smashwords.com. "The Songbird of Seville" was named a WWA Spur Award finalist for Best Short Fiction. Visit her website http://www.vonnmckee.com/
Submit to our blog! (Have an idea for our blog? Then share it with our Killer Nashville family. With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to contact@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Maria Giordano, Will Chessor and author Tom Wood for his volunteer assistance in coordinating our weekly blogs. For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com or www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com)
On Short Fiction and Evil Masterminds / Author Robert Mangeot
Writing short fiction demands a different kind of mental training. While novels can luxuriate with expansive plots and subplots, short fiction requires jabs and punches. In this week’s Killer Nashville Guest Blog, author Robert Mangeot cleverly tells us how he went from short story unpublished to well-published. And how you can do the same. You simply have to let the masterminds do their job.
Happy Reading!
Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine
On Short Fiction and Evil Masterminds
By Robert Mangeot
Inside us crime writer folk lurks an evil mastermind. Sure, some days the evil one may seem quiet, but always deep in our imaginations is a dimly lit chamber, walls blanketed in maps with dragons stalking the margins, a desk piled with jumbled notebooks, a shrouded figure clacking away in mad flourishes at the computer keyboard. Your inner mastermind is planning, planning, planning.
As crime writer folk, it’s likely you consider having your creative dark side pointed out as a compliment. And you should. If short fiction interests you, then unleashing that evil dude or dudette might be your call to adventure.
Flash to me outside a Manhattan bookshop, a gunmetal sky over SoHo, and an April mist slicking the rush hour streets: a perfect night for spying. You read that right. Espionage. Except I had only written a short story about spies, and the honor of it landing in the MWA anthology Ice Cold—which was launched that rain-slicked night at The Mysterious Bookshop—was borne of fruitful collaboration with my inner mastermind.
Killer stories require more than lightning bolts of inspiration. In crime writer-ese, a great short story is like a heist: intricate timetable, tricky execution, ticking clock. The story mastermind must identify and adapt to each and every obstacle in order to pull off the job.
Flashback to 2010. Flush with creativity, I had locked myself away to crank out stories. They stunk, every blessed one of them. I know that now, but in those heady days I fired off submissions, certain of a breakthrough.
Not so much.
Fast-forward through a trial-and-error montage of research, critique and useful rejection, add any Eighties arena pop soundtrack at your discretion. What kept me going was my stretch goal—selling a story to a dream market like MWA or Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Trust me, back then when I said stretch, it meant hyperextension. Whether or not I would ever get the dream acceptance letter, who knew? The important thing was the reach.
Fast-forward again through more rewrite and rejection to enlightenment. Finally I understood my stories, like heists without a getaway plan, they were never coming together. Characters, setting, plot, everything had to be crafted to bring out a connected whole. Poe—now there was an evil mastermind—called this “unity of effect.”
For that I learned to call on my mastermind, which means I also learned to pay as much attention to how I’m writing as to what I’m writing. After all, one story is just one story. My creative process is how I’ll write more and better. And so I’ve developed brainstorming rituals that summon the mastermind. He arrives feisty, demanding sharper ideas and I rewrite again and again and again. He forces me to slash away at the labor-of-love early drafts and darling sentences. The evil mastermind is editing, editing, editing.
Some key lessons from the inner mastermind about killer short fiction; he is five-fold:
The Brain: Amp up the premise until it is distinctively your own. Premises are infinite. Take risks. Have fun with voices, characters, and ideas. The price of a short story idea falling apart is pretty much zero, and if it improves your writing, I’d call that a success.
The Grease Man: Like tumblers falling in a picked lock, work every element into the connected whole. Subplots are for novels, asides for Shakespeare. Keep a short story slick and elegant.
The Insider: Do the research. Amazing next-level inspiration comes from having the context and interrelationships nailed. Also, before ever submitting somewhere, read several issues first. Know the target market cold, its submission requirements and editorial preferences. This is make-or-break with pro markets. No heist goes off without first casing the joint, right?
The Muscle: Short stories are all about compressed vibrancy. Find the compelling narrative voice that does the heavy lifting, especially with mood and characterization. Edit, edit, edit until the deeper story emerges and the words crackle.
The Getaway Driver: Start the story late, well after a novel version would open. Move quick, hit hard and get out fast, with a thematic roar that echoes long after the last word is read.
Simple, right? We crime writer folk understand simple doesn’t mean easy. But for me, that journey is becoming an adventure. The short story is dead? Feels pretty alive to me.
You know what else is alive? Your mastermind. Alive and hard at work somewhere in there, planning, planning, planning your story of the century.
If you would like to read more about Robert Mangeot’s books please click here.
Robert Mangeot lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife, pair of cats, and a bossy Pomeranian writing partner. His short fiction has won multiple writing contests and appears in various journals and anthologies, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Mystery Writers of America Presents Ice Cold: Tales of Intrigue from the Cold War. He serves as the Vice-President of Sisters In Crime, Middle Tennessee chapter. Visit his website at robertmangeot.com
(Have an idea for our blog? Then share it with our Killer Nashville family. With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to contact@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Maria Giordano and author Tom Wood for his volunteer assistance in coordinating our weekly blogs. For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com)
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